Dance With Me
by TheCopyMistress
Summary: Sakura thought that her dance partner Sasuke was the best match out there for her, but what happens when he hurts himself right before the biggest competition of the year? Add a mysterious older brother into the mix, and Sakura just might have her work cut out for her.
1. Chapter 1

Big thanks to nerazenn, RavineMichelle, and lxke for beta-ing!

* * *

To say that Sakura was having a bad day was an understatement. It wasn't even 9 am when she received the call from her aunt saying that her dance partner had been wheeled in on a gurney with a broken ankle and bruises galore.

"Sakura, you don't understand!" Sasuke was whisper-yelling into the phone, which meant he had already been fished out of the stupid ocean and transported to the hospital. She could hear the strict orders of his doctor in the background, along with painfully familiar raucous laughter.

She rolled her eyes, knowing Tsunade probably got a kick out of their situation. Sakura couldn't believe her luck. It was a month before nationals, and her partner had decided to go cliff diving with their idiot best friend. This injury took several months to heal, deeming _both of them_ unable to compete in the ballroom competition they had prepped for all year.

"You're fucking right, Sasuke, I don't understand! We're ballroom dancers, what are we without our LEGS? How could you jeopardize this for us?!" She was practically shrieking into the phone as she ducked into her car, intent on giving him a verbal beating face to face. After stopping for flowers, because he was still her friend. Maybe she would hit him with them. She would figure it out when she got there.

"No, Naruto called me pussy-shit, saying ballroom was gay, and I had to defend our profession!"

"You're an idiot, and you still haven't fully convinced me that you aren't gay. I'm going to kill you when I get there. You better not be sleeping. And Naruto better be there too, I have words for him." She slammed her finger on the end call button before throwing her phone on the passenger's side. It bounced twice before hitting the floor before sliding under the seat.

"Are you fucking kidding me…" She muttered under her breath. When she stopped at a red light, Sakura leaned over to dig for her phone, ignoring the honks from the cars behind her when the light turned green. She finally grasped it and sat back up after a few seconds, giving her just enough time to accelerate before the light changed again.

Fifteen minutes later, she had swung by the supermarket, grabbed a stupid bouquet for her stupid friend, driven to the hospital, signed in, and stomped her way over to emergency. Someone must've warned them she was coming, because Tsunade emerged from behind a curtain, squaring her shoulders and crossing her arms.

"Sakura." She raised an eyebrow, a silent threat. _Behave yourself or I will kick you out of this establishment_.

"Tsunade. If you'll excuse me." Sakura tried to step around the imposing woman, but Tsunade leaned into Sakura's path.

" _Sakura._ Let the boy rest." She put a hand on her niece's shoulder, willing her to calm down. "Come to my office. You're his emergency contact, so he gave me permission to share the details of his case file with you. Since this affects you as well, you might as well know what you're in for."

With a sigh of defeat, Sakura hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. "Hold on a second. It's this one right?" She pointed to the curtain the doctor had just come from. Tsunade nodded and Sakura ducked in, met with Naruto's frightened eyes and Sasuke's blank stare, their conversation halted. She glared at them for a moment before calmly walking to Sasuke's bedside. She paused for a moment to stare back at Sasuke before taking the bouquet and whacking him swiftly on the head.

"Put these in water. I'll be back in a little bit." She used two fingers to point to her own eyes, then at Naruto. "You. Stay." She swept out of the division and walked back to where Tsunade was waiting in the middle of the room, reading a few charts. She turned on her heels towards the elevators with Sakura following closely behind, tapping away at her phone.

"Ugh, Anko is gonna be so pissed when she finds out…" She pocketed her phone in the elevator and turned towards her aunt. "I can't believe he did this. It's gonna wreck his career. It's going to wreck _our_ career."

The pair had been training together for three years, leaving their previous partners after they competed against each other in junior latin championships. At sixteen, strong leads were hard to come by. The gangly boys that usually "graced" the competition were nothing compared to Sasuke, who swept away the competition with every beautifully executed step. She and her partner, Lee, took second that day by a wide margin, but while she was packing up to go home with her puny silver trophy cup, Sasuke had approached her, demanding that she partner with him.

* * *

" _We could go far together." Sakura was skeptical, to say the least. "I saw you out there, practically back-leading the entire time. He's holding you back." He nodded over to Lee, who was chittering animatedly with their coach, Guy._

 _Sakura rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the suave boy in front of her. "Aren't you the charming one," she deadpanned. "What's wrong with your current partner?" From what she saw of the ponytailed blonde, she wasn't half-bad, certainly not someone to trade away for a match they didn't even know was going to work out._

" _She's alright, but her extensions are weak, she never shows up to rehearsal on time, and she talks too much."_

 _Ugh, this guy was irritating her, no matter how talented he was. "How do you know I don't talk too much?"_

 _Sasuke just smirked at her. "Between those two, can you ever even get a word in?"_

" _Okay, I'll give you that one." So he could make jokes. Alright. "Why me? You're good, you don't need me."_

" _You came in second—"_

" _Yeah, like five points behind you—"_

" — _because of your lead. You won't make it to nationals with him. If, by some miracle you do, you won't win. I'm your best bet, and if you keep dancing the way you did today, I'm yours as well." Sakura narrowed her eyes. Lee wasn't her first choice in partners, but he was a good person, and didn't deserve the ridicule this stranger was giving him. "I've been to a couple of your competitions. You're the partner I want."_

 _Sakura took a small step back in shock. "You've been stalking me?"_

" _Not quite. He told me about you and I got curious." Sasuke pointed across the room at the blond boy hunched over on a folding chair, thoroughly engrossed in a video game she could hear beeping across the gymnasium. Green eyes widened as she recognized him._

" _How do YOU know Naruto?" They didn't seem like the type to hang out at all. The boy shrugged in response._

" _Our parents are friends. He's not that bad, I guess." The small smile on his face said otherwise, and Sakura couldn't help the devious grin that stretched across her face. Sasuke turned back to her, scowling. "Umm, no. It's not like that. I'm not gay."_

" _Oh, uhh—"_

" _So, here's my number. Come dance with me."_

" _If that came from anyone else, I would assume you were hitting on me."_

" _Not gay, Sakura. See you around."_

* * *

Dancing with Sasuke turned out to be a transformative process. The way he held her to him and the confidence of his footwork made her feel like she had never danced a day in her life before. None of it was sexual in the slightest, despite the innate sensuality of the Latin dances they both specialized in. They exited junior leagues as champions and were on the road to winning seniors this coming spring. That is, until Sasuke decided to go bust up his award winning limbs _right before_ the big day.

Tsunade ushered Sakura into her office, who closed the door behind her and dropped herself into one of the two chairs. Tsunade rounded the desk to stick a couple slides into the backlight before switching it on. She pointed to the cracks that splintered through the tiny bones in the ankle area.

"He's fucked up pretty badly, Sakura, I'm not going to lie to you." Sakura groaned in response, running a hand through her hair before nodding at the doctor to continue. "He won't need surgery, but these fractures need time to set and heal. He won't be walking regularly, forget dancing, for at least eight months."

"Eight months?!" Unbelievable. He destroyed their career at its pinnacle. This would have opened so many doors for them, but thanks to his carelessness, Sakura watched her dreams fly out the window. "So even once he's healed, he won't be the same?"

"I don't know when he's going to gain back full mobility. These injuries take longer than most to heal, especially since it's weight-bearing." Tsunade confessed. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I know how much this upcoming competition means to you." She came around the desk, leaning against it and crossing her ankles.

"You're not the one who should be apologizing to me." Sakura ground her teeth together, feeling her ire grow steadily the more the information set in. "What does the process look like then? How can we track his healing?"

"He'll have to be in crutches for a couple months before we can start him on physical therapy. From there, it's a matter of his cooperation with both the training and the rest. If he pushes beyond what his body is capable of, he's just going to end up setting himself back."

"He's nineteen years old, you really think he's not going to push it?"

"You need to stress this to him, Sakura. It's imperative to both of your careers." They've all heard the horror stories, of dancers who injured themselves and were never the same again.

Her head fell into her hands, trying to come up with some coherent thought. "I just… Fucking dumbasses. I can't believe they did this to me."

Tsunade sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Dancers. You all come in here, with your strained this, your broken that. Yelling at each other, blaming each other. Well, honey, it's about time you got your head out of your ass and realize that—yes, he was being unbelievably stupid—but this shit happens. How do you think Sasuke is feeling right now? He's taken himself out of the game, and on top of that, he's taking you down with him. He's guilty enough. So stop your moaning and go check on your partner." Her gaze hardened as she gestured towards the door.

Still grumbling under her breath, Sakura rose and headed towards the door, giving Tsunade a half-hearted wave as she shut the door behind her. On her way back to the elevators, her cell gave a resounding _Ding!_ that earned her a few annoyed stares from the nurses that rushed through the quiet halls. She didn't pull it out of her back pocket until she was tucked safely away in the elevator, descending back to the ER level.

' _He told me earlier. I still expect you in the studio today. We have a lot to discuss.'_ Well, at least that saved her the trouble of telling Anko herself. Sakura huffed. What was she going to do, dance alone? Another message bubble popped up just as she was about to close the screen. ' _Punch both of those idiots for me.'_

Sakura smiled to herself. While she sometimes missed Coach Guy's unnerving optimism, it never pushed her to be the best she could be. Any placement was a win with Guy. Anko's slave-driver methods, though exhausting and sometimes infuriating, were much more motivational for Sakura, who found her strength under pressure.

Back in the ER, Sakura steeled her gaze in a mirror she passed before reaching Sasuke's "room," the curtains surrounding him fluttering slightly. She tore back the curtain and stared daggers at them both. It only took one menacing step forward and Naruto's hands were flying upwards in a feeble attempt to protect himself.

"Sakura, Sakura! Wait!" Naruto pled, rushing forward to kneel at her feet. "...It was Sasuke's fault." Sakura heard herself growl. She grabbed Naruto's shirt and wrenched him upwards. He towered over her, but the fear never left his eyes as he stared down at her.

"How could you?! You know how he gets!" The boys' competitive streak was bordering on psychotic, neither of them ever able to turn down a challenge from the other. "Insulting our career path, Naruto? What did you think would happen? And CLIFF DIVING?" She let go of Naruto and rounded on her dance partner, the pitch of her voice rising higher and higher with each exasperated sentence. "What the ACTUAL FUCK, Sasuke?! Your legs are EVERYTHING! Not just to your success, but mine as well! You selfish, idiotic, reckless imbecile!"

She punched him hard on the shoulder, ignoring his reaction, before turning back to Naruto, beckoning him with a finger. He whimpered as he approached her slowly, and when he was within arm's length, she slugged him too, a little harder. He wasn't the one in a hospital bed, after all. "Those are from Anko, by the way!"

"Sakura, we're in a hospital. Please keep your voice down." Sasuke's voice was deceptively calm, completely different from when he had called her earlier. "I'm sorry for the stupid decisions I made, but what's done is done and we have to figure out what your next step is."

He glared at his broken appendage, wrapped in a cast and elevated to alleviate the pain. It was as if he believed he could will his ankle to heal itself if he tried hard enough. Sakura felt a stab of pity shoot through her chest. Tsunade had just reminded her of this. Sasuke had lost in this situation as well, and she wasn't helping at all by reaming him for his actions. The consequences he was facing were much larger than her own. She sighed and motioned for Sasuke to scoot over. He did the best he could, only able to give her a couple more inches as she sat on the bed next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't have a next step, baka," Sakura replied. "You're my lead. I can't go anywhere without you." She felt his cheek rest against the top of her head, warm and comforting.

"If I may offer a solution?" Naruto piped up.

"No, you may not." Sasuke grumbled above her. She could tell his eyes were closed and he was on the verge of sleep.

"Sasuke. Put aside your pride and help our best friend out."

"Anyone but him, Naruto."

"She won't win with anyone else but him!"

That shut Sasuke up real quick. Sakura didn't want to move for fear of disturbing him, but she squeezed his hand in concern. "What's he talking about, Sasuke?"

"He's not talking about anything. Leave it alone."

"But—"

"Leave it alone. Please."

Her brows furrowed in concern, but she pressed no further. Her forehead rested in the crook of his neck, his skin growing hot beneath her touch. The neck of his hospital gown had slipped down to reveal mottled black and yellow bruises on his chest.

"Shit, Sasuke." Sakura winced, tugging down his collar a little further to examine the damage. "Did you even make it to the water?"

The boy squirmed away from her, uncomfortable with her scrutiny. Naruto chimed in with, "He didn't push off far enough from the cliff, so he landed in shallow water and fucked himself up on the rocks."

Sakura tried to give Sasuke a comforting pat, but it just served to further irritate him, and he hissed through his teeth and pulled away. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"

"Why you acting so shy all of a sudden, Teme. It's not like you two haven't had your hands all over each other anyways." He pointedly ignored the annoyed look they shot at him. Naruto had returned to his place in the chair next to the bed, legs outstretched and hands clasped behind his head. "Speaking of, is this happening yet?"

He pointed in between the two, who had gone from leaning on each other to Sakura fighting Sasuke for his hand, running her fingers soothingly up and down his arm. They looked to their friend in unison, matching deadpan stares gracing their features. Sakura was the first to break.

"I don't know, I was so sure this whole time that he was into _you_ —"

"Not gay, Sakura," Sasuke interjected.

"—so I've never considered it. Besides, I don't mix business and pleasure, you know this."

Naruto just shrugged and pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen before swiping his thumb across it, a grin spreading across his features. "Hey, babe!" He rose from his chair and stepped out of the division, waving at Sasuke and Sakura as he vanished from sight.

"Wait, Naruto!" Sakura called after him. "Ugh, I need to get to the studio soon. Anko is still expecting me."

"Go ahead, Sakura. I'll be fine." Sasuke fiddled with the I.V. in his arm as Sakura stood and gathered her things.

"Are you sure? I can wait until he comes back…" She reached for his hand, which he took in his own and squeezed lightly.

"I'll catch up with you later, okay? Go face the dragon lady." He smirked at their nickname for their beloved instructor, but stopped as dread filled Sakura's eyes.

"I don't even know what I'm gonna say to her! We were her only team going to championships, we've spent eight months prepping, you're definitely not going to be okay in time, I haven't danced with anyone else in years, no one else knows our choreo, hell, I don't know anyone else's choreo…" Sakura's anxiety skyrocketed almost immediately.

"Hey! You're gonna be fine. Just put all the blame on me, I can handle it." Sakura rolled her eyes, but accepted his excuse nonetheless.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him as she waved, closing the curtain behind her. She grabbed her phone from her back pocket, checking Snapchat stories as she walked to her car. There was Ino at the beach with Sai. Temari, last night, at a dimly lit restaurant with a smirking Shikamaru and—a ring? Sakura grinned, making a mental note to ask her about that later. She tapped it away and up popped Naruto's video from that morning. He had Sasuke snap his dive and luckily, there was no evidence of the stupidity that followed. Sakura rolled her eyes as she unlocked her car, ducking inside and turning the music on full blast. She cruised out of the hospital parking lot, thoughts still filled with worry and dread.

* * *

I thought "Maybe if I post the first chapter, I'll be motivated to keep it going!" I've got a couple ideas running around my brain :) Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

I'm so sorry for the wait. This chapter is short and crappy and I have no idea where I'm going with this 100% self-indulgent story. Enjoy!

* * *

The drive to Anko's studio was too short, and Sakura didn't quite have her thoughts together enough to face their coach with any sort of game plan. She grabbed her gym bag from the backseat and threw it over her shoulder, jogging to the double doors. It was still early and Anko hadn't unlocked the doors, so Sakura dug in her bag for her keys and let herself in.

It was dark inside the main hallway, but a white light shone from underneath the door of Anko's office at the end. Smaller practice rooms lined one side of the hall while a large studio took up the other. She turned into the dressing room, trading her jeans and large hoodie for black leggings and a roughly cropped white t-shirt.

Sakura took the second practice room and flipped on the lights. She dumped her bag next to the door and plugged her phone into the speaker system as she prepped for stretches. After pulling up her favorite playlist, she slipped off her shoes and padded to the barre attached to the wall across from the mirrors.

She auto-piloted through her warm-up, lost in thought about the upcoming competitions. She wasn't completely useless without Sasuke. She was a formidable dancer in her own right! Frustrated, Sakura pulled a little too hard on her left arm and hissed at the sting.

"Sakura, come to the main studio." Anko's voice barked from the tiny intercom by the door. "Bring your shoes."

Sakura folded herself in half for a couple seconds, touching her forehead to her knees. She exhaled as she stood straight again, studying her reflection in the mirror before gathering her things. She walked back down the hall to the largest room, eyes glued on her phone.

"Of course, Sasuke's dire medical emergency doesn't warrant a small break for his poor, distraught partner—" Sakura paused in her dramatic entrance to look up and take in the group of five men in the room, Anko nowhere in site. She eyed them all suspiciously as she placed her bag in its usual spot. "What's going on?"

"They're auditioning with you." Sakura whipped around to find Anko in the chair behind the door, tightening the straps of her heels.

"What? I thought I was out of the competitions this season. Sasuke and I have been working all year on our routines."

"You're a smart girl, you can learn a couple more before the first competition. These boys will help you. I called in a couple favors from old friends. They sent their best." The blue-haired woman clicked across the room to the first man in line and grasped his shoulder. He wore a white dress shirt and black dance pants, blond hair swept neatly across his forehead. "This is C. Try him on for size."

Sakura quickly pulled on her black heels, fastening the strap on her ankles before approaching C. His height was comfortable, and the only word Sakura could think for a moment was 'cute'.

"Hi. Is it just C?"

He flashed her a brilliant smile. "Yeah. It's just C. Shall we?" He offered her his hand. The other boys cleared out of the way, sitting or leaning against the back wall as they got into closed position.

"You kids ready?" Anko called from the front of the room. A nod from Sakura, and she started the music.

The pair swayed for a moment, getting used to each other's micromovements before taking their first step. C was a reliable partner, always giving obvious clues to Sakura about where he would lead her next. His directions were safe, and he took no risks for misunderstanding. Overall, it was nice, but lacking the spark that Sakura usually felt when dancing with Sasuke.

"Mmm, I don't think so." Apparently Anko could see it too. She dismissed C and appraised the remaining four. "Kankuro, get up here."

"Yes, ma'am." The tall brunette pushed off the wall, hands buried in his pockets as he walked up to Sakura. She studied his stride, his all-black ensemble, the sleeves of his button up rolled up to his elbows… And she thanked whatever gods were watching over her today.

He bowed and put out his hand to her. "You ready, princess?" He smirked up at her from his bent position, and Sakura felt her heart flutter a little bit.

He closed the distance between them as soon as her hand was in his. Sakura heard Anko snort, clearly entertained by the man's antics. She started the music and Kankuro's right hand slipped lower on her waist. "Hold on tight."

They grinned at each other as he guided her backwards. He dipped her low, spun her fast, swept her feet off the ground with a grace that she would have never expected. By the end of the end of song, they were just laughing and holding onto each other as if they were the only two in the room.

"Alright, alright!" Anko snapped her fingers. "It's a no from me. You two mess around too much." Kankuro looked as if he were going to protest, but Anko held up a finger at him. "Nope. Out. If you wanna ask her out later, wait in the loft. Bye!"

He shrugged and turned to wink at Sakura, pointing to the loft above the mirror where the parents usually sat during the kids' classes. "I'll wait for you, princess." Stuffing a hand in his pocket, he sauntered out of the room.

"Hold on!" Sakura interrupted as Anko was about to call up the next lead. "Water first."

"Fine, take five." Anko lowered herself onto the chair up against the mirror and started scrolling through her phone. "How's the brat, Haruno?"

"Tsunade said eight months. At the least." She answered as she rummaged through her bag for her water bottle. She took a long draught and alternated bending her legs a little to ward off any stiffness. "The idiot shattered his ankle."

"Hmm. Well, I'll get him in touch with my physical therapist friend. We need that leg to heal properly." Anko fell silent, and the room was silent except for the occasional click of Sakura's heels against the floor as she moved her legs.

She took the moment to study the two remaining leads. One sat on the ground with his head resting on his arm, engrossed in whatever video was on his phone. The black shirt he wore fit him well, but nothing else really stood out about him. Her eyes glossed over him quickly.

The second man leaned nonchalantly against the wall, one foot propped against it. His arms were crossed, biceps nicely defined in his blood red shirt. His eyes were closed, and the deep tear troughs under his eyes made Sakura think he was tired. Long, black hair tied back at the nape of his neck and she wondered if it was soft as it looked. Her eyes travelled down the length of his body, lean but muscular from years of conditioning.

"Okay, time's up. Let's go." Anko stood from her chair. "Itachi, you're up."

Sakura held back a smile as the black-haired man pushed himself away from the wall and uncrossed his arms. She watched him walk across the floor He waited for her in the middle of the floor, raising an eyebrow when she failed to move from her spot next to her bag.

"Oh!" She remembered herself, hurrying to him.

"Distracted much?" His eyes fixed on her for the first time, and whatever snarky retort she had flew out of her mind. Most people might think black an ordinary color, but Itachi's eyes were a vortex of mysterious intensity, both intimidating and comfortable at the same time

He held out his hand to her, eyes glinting in silent challenge. "Come on. Let's see if you can keep up, little cherry blossom."

Her own emerald gaze narrowed in suspicion. Sakura placed her hand in his and he pulled her in close, pressing his other hand to the small of her back. Though his palm was warm against her bare skin, she felt a pleasant shiver run up her spine.

He lowered his head, and she felt his breath ghost against her ear as he whispered, "Do you trust me?"

Anko didn't wait for a confirmation before starting the music, and Itachi didn't wait for an answer before he dipped her low. He released her hand, sliding his own down the length of her body to support her thigh. His face was level with her chest, but his eyes stayed trained on hers, a devilish smirk gracing his lips. She couldn't look away. He righted them, their bodies still flush as he pushed her leg backwards with his own.

Sakura's skin was on fire, and she kept having to remind herself to _breathe_. He was taller than Sasuke, but she still fit comfortably against him. Dancing with Sasuke was enlightening, but dancing with Itachi was _awakening_. His shoulder flexed under her left hand as he led her into a series of spins. She used his eyes to spot herself and grasped a firm bicep to stop the momentum. He pulled her back to himself and rested his forehead on hers. His eyes were closed, but he smiled down at her, panting slightly.

She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed when Itachi dropped his hand from her waist and stepped away, giving them both more room to breathe. They looked at Anko, who seemed deep in thought as she stared back at them. It was an uncomfortably long silence before she spoke again.

"Let's try another one. Faster."

Sakura looked to Itachi, who nodded at Anko before turning to face her again. The music started before he offered his hand to her, heady bass beats, the rhythmic slide of a maraca, and a Spanish guitar filling the room. He didn't pull her to him this time, but rather used just his hand to lead her to step backwards, giving her freedom and room to maneuver. Spinning her twice, he brought her a little closer with a hand on her waist.

She needed more of him, and she knew how she was going to get it. Sakura followed as he led her around himself but when he brought her around to the front, she pressed her entire length against him, rolling her body down his. Hooking her leg around his thigh, she leaned back into a dip. When he brought her back up, she unwrapped her hand from his neck and ran it down his chest, and she swore she heard his breath hitch.

The moment was fleeting. Sakura knew Itachi had caught on to her game, and was now on the offensive. He turned her away with a hand on her hip so they were both facing the mirror as he pressed his chest flush against her back. They locked eyes through the reflection and he held her there for a moment before using his own hips to leads hers in a slow, sensual circle. Her eyes slipped closed as she reveled in the feel of his warmth.

Sakura gasped, her eyes shooting open as he wrapped an arm around her waist to spin her away from him. Itachi caught her hand to stop her just as the music ended. The smirk that graced his lips as he bowed made her want to punch him… or kiss him. Both choices were making convincing arguments.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Anko, Sakura." He straightened, placing his hands back into his pockets as he strolled towards the door. "This was an interesting experience."

Oh, now that just won't do. Sakura cocked a hip and crossed her arms, spinning to face him. "So, that's it then? This is just fun and games for you?"

"Of course not, Princess," Itachi jeered over his shoulder. "But you seem to have better things to do at the moment, so I'll just be on my way." He looked pointedly to the upper level, where Kankuro was watching them curiously. All of a sudden, he didn't seem so interesting.

Sakura swayed towards him, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek before heading out the door before him."I'll see you tomorrow. I get here at 9."

* * *

Thank you for reading! I can't promise the next update will be better, but I've been sitting on this forever and I just felt like I needed to get it out. Until next time!


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